Heart of a Crow
by Elisafairy
Summary: Crowfeather knew he had to let go of Leafpool and move on with his life. He had only come to say goodbye one last time. But what happens when together they are thrown into a new adventure, set in a world of darkness beneath the clans?
1. Chapter 1: Into the Darkness

Leafpool crawled through the underbrush that lie on the Thunderclan-Windclan border, searching for herbs. She heard something rustling nearby and scented a Windclan warrior. She hoped with all her heart it wasn't who she thought it was, but the smell was all too familiar. Crowfeather!

The rustling stopped. _He must have heard me_, Leafpool thought, _I wonder what he'll do next?_

A dark gray head popped out of a bush, the Windclan warrior's nose touching the nose of the Thunderclan medicine cat. Both cats' eyes were wide and full of wonder. Leafpool's amber eyes opened even wider as Crowfeather closed his own and swiftly kissed her.

Crowfeather ducked back into the bush, and Leafpool followed when she heard a Thunderclan border patrol coming their way. "What are you doing here?" the medicine cat hissed.

"I came to see you one last time before we move on with our lives."

"You shouldn't have… it only makes things harder…"

"Shhh… The patrol's coming towards this bush. There's a big risk that they'll catch us, but we've got to hide in a tunnel over there!"

Leafpool agreed. "They'll catch us anyway if we stay here, so we might as well take the chance." Together they counted to three, then burst out of the bush, Crowfeather first

"Follow me!" he called, dashing over to a hole between two thick, gnarled tree roots. He scrambled down the tunnel with Leafpool following him.

Darkness engulfed them as they fell for what seemed like an eternity, Leafpool clutching to Crowfeather, the only thing she knew in this dark, damp underworld. It felt as if they were falling through space, with nothing solid to hold to but eachother. Finally they fell with a splash into icy cold water.

The she-cat held her breath as she slowly lost consciousness and plummeted into the deep, black depths of the underground lake. Crowfeather burst through the surface, gasping for breath. Then seeing his love drowning, screamed "Leafpool!" then took one last breath and fought his way down to her as she drifted away to Starclan.

The strong young warrior gripped her scruff with his teeth and pulled her slowly, painfully to the surface, not sure if he would make it. But he did, and Leafpool was breathing once more, though still not aware of anything. He held tightly to her, holding her small, beautiful head above the icy, lapping waves that threatened to drown them.

"It's my fault," he said aloud, "If only I hadn't come to see her one last time!" At least they would die together. He wouldn't leave her to drown alone, not for anything. His life was worth nothing without her. If only he could find some land and save them both.

He fought through the darkness that spread out across the vast sea, until finally his reaching paws touched land. He pushed Leafpool onto the land, then attempted to scrabble up himself, but the surface was wet stone, and he nearly slipped back into the water. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tightly, digging into the solid rock with his claws, pulling himself slowly to safety.

The two lay on the damp, cold stone together, sides heaving with the exhaustion from swimming. Crowfeather's eyes were wide, searching for something other than darkness, but he couldn't see a paw in front of his face. "Leafpool!" he cried, nudging her with his nose, "Wake up, please! You'll be safe with me!" Leafpool didn't make a move except for her steady breathing, which was getting slower and slower. Crowfeather rested his head on her side. "Please," he whispered, "You've got to live!"

Suddenly, there was a spluttering noise and a cough. "Leafpool!" he shouted, leaping up, "Leafpool, it'll be okay." He crouched beside her, pressing her side with his big, strong paws. Water dribbled out of the she-cat's mouth, and her breathing grew to a normal rate. Her eyes flickered open to Crowfeather's relief. They were pupiless yellow orbs in the gloom.

"What's going on?" she asked, panicking. The orbs were as big as the moon now. She tried to get up, but Crowfeather gently made her lie back down.

"Shhh…" he shushed her, "Everything'll be all right now." He petted her shoulder with his tail, then began drying her with his rough tongue.

"You saved my life, didn't you?" Leafpool's voice was quiet, her eyes half-opened.

"What are friends for?" Crowfeather mumbled bitterly. He knew that was all they ever could be now.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

The two were silent for a moment, until Leafpool whispered, "Thank you… I can never repay you."

He kissed her and she pushed him away. "No," she said, turning away, "What about Nightcloud?"

"What about her? You know why I chose her. I only want to show them I'm loyal to Windclan."

"It doesn't matter. She's still yours." Crowfeather put his head down. "Why?" Leafpool asked, "Why did you come visit me? We'll still see each other at gatherings, although we can never be close again."

He hesitated. "I was leaving. I wanted to see you one last time."

"Leaving? To where? Does your mate and son know?"

Crowfeather sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Ah… no," he admitted, "I faked my own death so that all of Windclan would think I was dead. You're the only one who knows I live."

"Crowfeather! You came and told me goodbye, but let your own family and clan think you're dead?" Crowfeather nodded. "Where did you think you would go? And why, for that matter?" Leafpool asked him, bewildered.

"You remember that beautiful place we ran off to together?" Leafpool nodded. "That's where I planned to go," the Windclan warrior continued, "I wanted to escape. To escape _her,_ to escape everything I've done and everything that I regret."

"Don't do this. Forget about everything that's happened between you and me."

"I can't, I…" Crowfeather began.

"It's all because of you," Leafpool interrupted, "that we're down her in this pit, and that we'll never see daylight again. It's all your fault that…"

She stopped, and they both turned as a cold gust filled the cavern and someone… some_thing_… entered the room. Leafpool gasped at the hideous sight, and Crowfeather leaped to defend her as it drew nearer in the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2: Chasm

Crowfeather and Leafpool could barely see in the darkness but it was enough to see the shape of something coming closer and closer, two milky blue eyes glowing in the dark. "Stay back!" Crowfeather growled. "I'm warning you!"

Still it came closer, and as it did so, it began to resemble a cat. A large, hairless cat with a scarred face and a missing ear.

Crowfeather hissed and nearly leaped out at the stranger, but then he stopped. They were trapped in a dark cavern. First of all, leaping out to fight might mean falling into an unseen hole. Secondly, this stranger may be able to help them out.

"Who are you?" Crowfeather yowled, his voice echoing on the cavern walls. His fur was bristling although he tried to hide his fear.

The strange cat spoke in a raspy voice. "My name is Chasm. Who are you and what brings you here?"

"I am Crowfeather of Windclan," the dark warrior answered. _But not for long_, he thought, _I won't be of Windclan when I leave…_ "Nothing _brought _us here," he snapped. "We fell down a stupid hole."

"I'm Leafpool," the Thunderclan medicine cat replied quietly, hiding behind Crowfeather. _I should be brave. My sister Squirrelflight wouldn't be afraid right now._

"You are probably wondering what a cat is doing down here, living in the darkness."

"Ummm, yes," Crowfeather said. "Very much so."

"It is a long story," Chasm said. "All I will tell you is that several tribes used to live at the lake before your clans. Those tribes are gone now. They have been gone longer than I have been alive, but I am a descendent of those cats. When the downfall of the tribes came, some cats came to live in these tunnels and caverns. They learned to avoid the rising waters that flood these tunnels, and to catch bats and cave fish for prey."

"Disgusting," Crowfeather murmured. Chasm luckily didn't hear him.

"I am guessing you two would like to find the way out?" the hairless cat continued.

Leafpool nodded. "Please, can you show us the way?"

"Perhaps," Chasm responded.

Crowfeather growled, "You better show us the way out, you flea-bitten furless…"

"It's not that I don't want to help," Chasm interrupted. "It's that I may not be able to. I know these caves well but I have never left them."

"Not once?" Leafpool asked. _What would it be like to live here your entire life and never feel the grass under your paws? _She shuddered at the thought, and from the cold damp that hung in the air.

"Never," Chasm replied, shaking his head slowly, "But I will try to help you find a way out anyway. Follow me." He turned and began walking back towards the direction he had come from.

Leafpool and Crowfeather followed him, and the gust of air became stronger as they did so. They came to a hole in the wall of the cavern, with a huge stone rolled away from it. They entered the tunnel and Chasm rolled the rock back. _There's no turning back now,_ Leafpool thought, _not that there was any exit in there anyway._

A damp, cold wind was blowing through the tunnel that they walked through, sending shivers up Crowfeather and Leafpool's spines. Chasm's whiskers twitched in amusement. "You get used to it after a while," he said. "I actually enjoy these nice breezes."

As they walked, Leafpool asked, "Are there any other descendants of the tribe living down here?"

Chasm turned to look at her, sadness in his cloudy, light blue eyes. "No," he said. "There were, until not too long ago. The caverns flooded more than they ever have before. We usually know how to jump to higher rocks and avoid the rising waters, but the flood just kept coming and coming. The water came higher than ever before. I made it to the highest rock, which was jutting out of the wall, and carried up three kits to the ledge with me, so they would be safe. I survived and so did the kits. No one else did. The three kits eventually died; I do not know why. I am much younger than I look, and did not know how to care for kits. I feel so much guilt to this day. If only I had given the ledge to the kits' mother…"

Leafpool wanted to comfort him as she did with her clanmates, but she didn't dare get too close to this strange, hairless cat. "It's okay," she said. "I've done things I regret too." She looked Crowfeather in the eyes. "You just have to move on."

Crowfeather turned away. He knew she was talking to him as much as she was talking to Chasm. _First she tells me not to run away from Windclan, then she tells me to move on! Which does she want? There's no way I can continue living in Windclan and forget all that's happened…_

Finally they came to the end of the tunnel, where Chasm rolled away another rock. Another gust of cold, strange-smelling air hit them in the face as they entered the next room of the caverns. Leafpool and Crowfeather gasped.

The ground dropped off right in front of them and far below was an underground lake of sparkling green water. The ceiling was high and the room was vast, and sharp, pointed rocks hung from the ceiling. Weak, golden light streamed down from a few holes in the ceiling, and there were a few small stone islands in the lake.

"It's beautiful," Leafpool whispered. "I didn't know there was such a beautiful place, and it's been right under our paws the whole time…"

Crowfeather spoiled the moment by grumbling, "How are we supposed to get down there? This ledge must be hundreds of feet up."

"Watch," Chasm said with a grin. He leaped to the right, straight off of the ledge.

"No!" Leafpool shouted, jumping to try and catch him. Crowfeather held her back and they both closed their eyes, waiting to hear him hit the water or worse, one of the rock islands. All they heard was the soft sound of landing paws. They leaned over the edge carefully and looked down. There was another ledge a little further down, where Chasm had landed. And there was another after that, and another after that, and another after that, and... The stone stairs led down to a little rock island on the emerald lake. "Come on!" Chasm shouted. "It's easy."

Crowfeather and Leafpool looked at each other, uneasy. Finally, Leafpool leaped, barely landing on the ledge. Crowfeather sighed and followed. Eventually they made it down to the bottom, where they leaped onto the island.

Crowfeather looked up. "How are we supposed to get out? The only way out I see are those holes in the ceiling, and there's no way we can get up there, even with your crazy ledge-jumping."

Chasm looked from Crowfeather to Leafpool with a serious expression on his face. "I hope you can swim," he said.

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3: Journey Through the Caverns

Light filtered through the clear, sparkling green water as Crowfeather pushed his way through. _Why am I doing this? Why am I doing this? Why am I doing this?_ He couldn't swim very well, but Chasm said this was the only way out. _Maybe he lied. Maybe he's just trying to get us killed._ He pushed himself to the surface for air, then dove back down again, following Chasm. Leafpool swam right behind him. She couldn't swim well, either.

They all came up for air one last time. They were all the way across the vast lake by now, and Crowfeather's muscles were aching, his heart pounding. "Okay," Chasm said, "Take a few last breaths. We're going in a tunnel. It's completely filled with water, so there won't be any breathing for awhile."

_This mouse-brain acts like this is perfectly normal, _Crowfeather thought. _He says "There won't be any breathing for awhile" as if that is perfectly ok and nothing to worry about. He's absolutely crazy. I must be mouse-brained to listen to him._

They all took a last gulp of air, then dove down and followed Chasm, swimming into a tunnel. _Great. I can't see _and _I can't breathe._ It was completely dark in the tunnel, and like Chasm had said, it was completely underwater. It seemed to go on and on for the forest cats. Crowfeather felt like they'd been in there for hours, although it hadn't even been a minute yet. His lungs felt like they were bursting. _I'd probably be seeing black dots by now, but it's too dark to even see imaginary dots._ He found himself panicking and began to kick, propelling himself upward, as if there were a surface he could break from and catch his breath. Instead of open air, the top of his head met solid rock. He slowly lost consciousness.

When he awoke, it was only a few seconds later, and Leafpool was pulling him onto land. "Thank goodness you're alive!" she said when she saw that he was awake. "I guess I saved your life now."

"Thanks," he coughed, spitting out water.

"You should have held on for just another couple of seconds," Chasm said. "We were almost out of the tunnel."

"As if I can help blacking out!" Crowfeather snapped.

Chasm didn't seemed bothered by his remark. The hairless cat simply shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Crowfeather looked around. They were in a small, dark room, lit with only one hole in the ceiling. There was a small pond of green water here, and the three cats were sitting on a tiny island. Crowfeather saw no way out.

"Um, are you sure we're in the right place, mousebrain?" he asked.

"What's a mouse?" Chasm asked.

"Forget it. Just tell me what's going on."

"This is the right way," he said. "Just be patient."

Crowfeather growled but didn't say any more.

Chasm looked around the room. "Now if I do remember correctly… we should be very close to it now…"

"Close to what?" Leafpool asked. "An exit?"

"No, the map."

"What's a map?" Leafpool asked.

"It shows where you are and where things are at, and how to get somewhere you need to be. That's the best I can explain it, you'll just have to see it for yourself. Okay, follow me." With that, he jumped into the water again, swimming straight down.

_Oh great, _Crowfeather thought._ More swimming._ He followed, though, and so did Leafpool. What else could they do? They swam straight down this time until they got to the bottom of the underground pond, where they entered another tunnel. This one was much shorter, to Crowfeather's relief. To his terror, the water was pushing them forward and when they came out the other side of the tunnel, they were sent hurtling down a waterfall.

Crowfeather and Leafpool twisted and turned as they fell over the rushing torrent, but the cave cat seemed to have his balance perfect in an instant. Two smacks and one gentle splash echoed in the cavern as the three cats landed in the river below. They crawled out of the river onto stone, the medicine cat and Windclan warrior both feeling cold, wet, and exhausted. "Please," Leafpool panted to Chasm. "Let us rest."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Chasm said. "I forgot that you forest cats weren't used to this kind of thing. While you rest, I'm going to go hunting for bats." The strange cat disappeared into a small cave in the side of the wall, and Leafpool and Crowfeather were left alone.

"So, how did you fake your death?" Leafpool asked. When he was silent, she continued, "You told me you faked your death so you could escape all your regrets and responsibilities in Windclan."

"We were on a patrol, down by the lake. I pretended to fall in and drown."

"That would be pretty clumsy of you." Leafpool purred. "What kind of cat just falls into a lake and drowns?"

"It was a pretty dumb plan," Crowfeather agreed. "I don't think they believed it at first, but I snuck out of the lake when they weren't looking, and hid in a bush. I followed them back to camp secretly. Everyone was saying they thought I hadn't drowned, but run away with you again. So I faked an omen. I put a bloody crow feather where the medicine cat would find it, and they all took it to mean I was dead."

"You pretended to drown, and you came close to drowning for real today," Leafpool said. "Kind of funny."

"Funny?" he growled. "How is it funny that I nearly drowned today?"

Leafpool stopped purring. "I didn't mean funny, I meant… weird. You're lucky I was there to drag you out in time."

"Yeah," he said. They were both silent for a while.

Chasm came back with three bats in his mouth, and dropped one in front of each of them. "Enjoy!"

"Ugh," Crowfeather said, poking at it with his paw. "That's disgusting."

"Just try it," Leafpool said. "Chasm's been so helpful to us. Besides, it's just like a mouse, but with wings."

"Sure," Crowfeather said. He pushed his share into the river and watched it float away.

"Hey!" Chasm said. "Don't waste perfectly good prey!"

"Don't mind him. It's good," Leafpool lied. She felt like pushing hers into the river, too, but she forced herself to be polite.

When they were done, they followed Chasm into another cave in the wall, where they wandered in a labyrinth of tunnels, finally entering a medium sized room of pointed rocks. A huge, carved diagram took up an entire wall of the cave, showing all of the cavern's tunnels, lakes, holes, and most importantly, exits. "This, my friends, is a map," Chasm said. "And this is what will help us find a way out."

"Now we're getting somewhere," Crowfeather said.


	4. Chapter 4: Memories

"So, it's all downhill from here, right?" Leafpool asked.

"Not exactly," Chasm said. "Sorry. There are several ways to choose from, but they're all about equally challenging. It just depends on what you two want to do."

"The one with the least water," Crowfeather said immediately.

"Sure," Chasm said. "They've all got a good deal of water, but there's one path that doesn't have quite as much." Pointing to a place on the map with his tail, he said, "We're right here." He moved his tail and said, "Here's the exit we're going for."

_That sure is a long way,_ Leafpool thought, _but there's less water and Crowfeather can't swim very well._ "So, are we ready?" she asked.

"Whenever you are," Chasm said.

"Alright," Crowfeather sighed. "Then let's go."

They left the room with the map and began their journey through the tunnels that would lead them to an exit. Their fur was drying now from their swim earlier, and even Crowfeather seemed to be cheering up a little. They hadn't had to swim in a long time, which suited the forest cats just fine.

Mostly they were silent as they walked through the cavern. The only sound was the padding of their paws, and the distant roar of the underground river. _This is awkward,_ Leafpool thought. _Maybe I should try to start a conversation._ But she didn't. What was there to talk about? The only topics she could think of were Chasm's life, which would probably make him sad, and Crowfeather's issues, which would only make the Windclan warrior angry with her.

Finally, she broke the silence. "So," she asked Crowfeather, "are you still planning on giving up and running away from your problems like a coward?"

Crowfeather glared at her and growled. "Be quiet. It's none of your business."

"Actually, it is my business since I'm the reason you've decided to do this."

"Why do you think you're the reason? Maybe I don't care about you at all anymore."

_He's just trying to make you mad, Leafpool._ "Because you told me. You're trying to escape your regret and the watching eyes of your clanmates. You feel like they're always watching what you do, and that you have to fight twice as hard as any other warrior, to prove that you're loyal." Crowfeather was silent and avoided her gaze. _I must be exactly right, _Leafpool thought. "You can escape your responsibility, but your regret will follow you," she finished.

"That sounds like a prophecy. Who do you think you are, a medicine cat?"

Leafpool smiled at him. "Kind of."

"Oh, right… I forgot," Crowfeather said.

Chasm was doing his best not to listen to their drama. It was none of his business and he wasn't a nosy cat. Still, he wondered what they were talking about.

They all walked through the tunnels a little longer, and everything was silent once more. _I shouldn't have been so harsh,_ Leafpool told herself. _But I can't just let him run away from his clan, can I?_

Eventually, they came to another chamber. This one was huge, with the biggest and the most pointed rocks yet. The sharp stones hung from all over the ceiling and sprouted from the floor. Leafpool was looking around the room when she noticed that Crowfeather didn't seem to be doing well. He seemed really tense and was looking straight ahead, trying not to see the sharp rocks.

"Are you okay?" Leafpool asked.

"F- fine," he replied.

_Crowfeather isn't usually so shaken. I wonder what…_ She stopped, remembering something mid-thought. _Feathertail! He must be thinking about her, and how she sacrificed herself to save the others from the big mountain cat, Sharptooth._

Leafpool matched her pace to his and walked right beside him. She licked his ear and said, "Hey, it'll be alright."

In Crowfeather's mind, the scene replayed itself all over again. _Feathertail, holding onto one of the sharp stones on the ceiling. The horrible noise and terror as the rock split, sending Feathertail falling. Realizing there was nothing he could do to save her. Her last words: I'll always be with you, I promise._

He was awoken from his daydream, his nightmare, as he heard the rumble of stone all over again, but this time it wasn't in his mind. "Run!" Chasm shouted, "Get to that tunnel over there, as quickly as you can!"

The three cats darted across the chamber, dodging the stone spikes that fell from the ceiling. Leafpool winced as one grazed her shoulder, but ignored the pain and kept running until she was safe with the others in the tunnel. They only paused for a second in the tunnel before Chasm said, "Keep going. The tunnel might collapse, too."

They ran and ran until they were finally out of the tunnel, in another room. In this one, there was a rushing river, the one they had heard earlier. "I'm sorry," Chasm said. "I know you didn't want to take a path with water, but this was an emergency detour."

"It's fine," Crowfeather grumbled. He lied down on the stone floor and put his head on his paws, looking away from the others.

"What's wrong?" Chasm asked Leafpool.

"He was remembering something painful. Don't ask him about it." She padded over to Crowfeather and licked a place on his cheek where a rock had hit him. "She's still with you," she told him. "She always will be."

"Thank you," Crowfeather said quietly.

Leafpool licked her own shoulder, where it had been grazed by the falling stone. Now that she had stopped running and actually thought about it, it really hurt, and it was bleeding, too. _How much longer until we get out of here?_ she wondered. She hoped it wouldn't be too long. This little journey was getting more and more dangerous, and she didn't have any herbs in here to work her medicine cat skills.

Besides, it was a nightmare to Crowfeather. He was afraid of drowning and sharp rocks, and this place had both. Tons of both. Next, they would have to cross that river, and even Leafpool wasn't sure about that.

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5: The River

Crowfeather could feel the river tugging at his fur, pulling him further and further downstream. If he didn't make it to the other side soon, he would be pulled by the river into a dark tunnel, and he would be separated from the group, possibly drowned. Leafpool was being pulled in that direction, too. Chasm was the only one who was a proficient swimmer.

Crowfeather closed his mouth, trying not to gulp in the water that just kept rushing towards him, dragging him along. It sloshed into his nose and burned his throat, causing him to choke.

"You alright?" Chasm asked.

"I'm fine," Crowfeather managed to splutter. _I can do this. Warriors don't need cave cats to show them how to survive._ He kept pushing forward, fighting the current of the river as he swam towards the stony land on the other side.

He watched as Chasm made it to the other side, then reached his paw out and helped Leafpool to climb out of the water. Eventually, Crowfeather made it to the other side too. Chasm offered his paw for help, but Crowfeather batted it away. "I told you I'm fine!" he hissed. Just as he was about to scrabble up onto the shore, he felt another rush of water coming over him. His head went under as the water poured into his mouth. He flailed his paws and thought helplessly, _I'm sorry! I do need help! Pull me out!_

Chasm was trying to reach out to him, but Crowfeather was already drifting too far down the river. The stream flowed into a dark tunnel and disappeared, taking Crowfeather with it.

"No!" Leafpool shouted. She ran to the water's edge, then turned to Chasm. "We've got to do something! Can't we just jump in the water and follow him?"

"No," Chasm said. "The water drops off very steeply, and there are sharp rocks at the bottom. Not to mention that it's pitch-black in there, and that the floor is full of holes."

"I don't care!" Leafpool said. "I'm going to find him!" She was about to jump into the river, but Chasm grabbed the scruff of her neck in his teeth.

"Don't," he said out of the corner of his mouth, still holding her from the water's edge. "I mean it. You won't be able to save him. I'm sorry, but we have to go." He let go of her fur, and she didn't try to jump in the water again.

"Let's go," Chasm said, walking over to and entering a small tunnel in the wall. Leafpool followed him silently.

Meanwhile, Crowfeather had gone over a waterfall and narrowly missed hitting the pointed rocks at the bottom. Of course, he didn't know this, as it was too dark to see the sharp stones, or anything for that matter. All he knew was that he was still floating down the river, that he felt sore and exhausted, that he couldn't see a thing in the darkness, and that he had been separated from Leafpool and Chasm. And none of those were good things.

_I'm doomed,_ he thought. He thought about trying to find land to rest on, but decided against it. It was too dark to see, and he might end up somewhere worse. _Maybe if I just keep floating, the river will lead somewhere where's there's light,_ he thought. _Or maybe it'll take me deeper into the caverns and no one will ever find me._ He didn't know which would happen, but he had to give it a shot and hope for the best. There was nothing else he could do.

_At least the river is gentler here._ It simply bobbed him along, giving him a chance to rest. The peace didn't last long enough, though. Just when he was beginning to feel comfortable, his body slammed against something. He floated a little ways more, then slammed into something else, and then something else. _There are rocks in the river, and it's too dark to see them! That's just great…_ He slammed into rock after rock, feeling more and more battered each time. _I can't take much more of this!_ He could vaguely sense the presence of the rocks in front of him, and tried to steer clear of them, but it wasn't helping much.

Again, he felt his side slam into stone. But this time, he felt something else as well. Teeth sunk into his fur, pulling him out of the water and onto one of the rocks. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or frightened even more.

"It's okay now," a she-cat's voice said. "You're safe. You're lucky I found you."

"Yeah. Thanks." _I've been rescued twice so far on this journey! I'm going to have to stop being so weak. Who is this cat, anyway?_ "How are we going to get off of this rock safely? I can't even see anything." he asked.

"I can't either. But I can smell and feel and hear and _sense_ what's around me. You learn how to after living here all your life."

"That's great, but what about me?" Crowfeather snapped. He felt sorry as soon as he'd done so. _This cat saved my life. I should be a little more polite._

The mysterious cat didn't seem bothered at all by Crowfeather's rude manners. "Brush up against my side," she said. "I'll guide you."

Crowfeather did as she said.

"Now take a step as I do."

Crowfeather did.

"See? This way, I can show you exactly how to move so you won't fall in."

"Thanks," Crowfeather said.

"No problem."

Together, they leaped across the rocks as the mysterious cat gave directions to Crowfeather. "Turn left, now step forward and jump! Jump again! Turn slightly to the right, and jump!" _I can't believe it, but I actually feel like I can trust her,_ Crowfeather thought. He found it hard to trust other cats, but he'd had to trust complete strangers several times today. Or was that yesterday that they he and Leafpool had fallen into the cavern? He couldn't tell how much time had passed.

Finally, they made it to solid land that wasn't just a rock in the middle of the river.

"So, what's your name?" Crowfeather asked.

"River," she answered. "And yours?"

"Crowfeather. What are you doing in here?"

River laughed. "I should be asking you that, not the other way around! I live here. Where did you come from? Why do you think I shouldn't be here?"

"I came from the forest above these caverns. I fell down here with another cat, Leafpool."

"The forest? I've heard stories about a thing called the forest. Our ancestors lived there, but I don't know what one looks like."

"It's hard to explain. You don't know what a tree is, do you?"

River shook her head.

"Then it'd be a little hard to explain what a forest is. Leafpool and I met another cat, Chasm, but I got separated from him and leafpool. Chasm said all the other cats in these caverns had drowned, so where did you come from?"

"You met Chasm?" River gasped. "I thought _he_ drowned!"

"I'm a little confused. What happened here?"

"There was a flood in the caverns a couple of years ago. Chasm probably told you that. Most of the cats died, but a few other cats and I survived. The flood washed us through the caverns until we found a place that was safe. We've been living in this part of the cavern ever since."

"Wow. Chasm seemed so sad and lonely. He's been living by himself for all these years, when he could have just found you."

"Yeah," River said. "I've got to find him as soon as possible! Everyone will be so glad to know he's alive!"

"Well, I've got to find Leafpool, and she's with Chasm, so I guess we'll be travelling together."

"I guess we will," River said. "Here, follow my voice. We're going to find Chasm and Leafpool."

_To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6: Reunion

"Here we are! Light!" River said. "You should be more comfortable now that you can see."

Crowfeather and River had been travelling in the dark for what seemed a long time. He was shocked when they came into the light and he saw the mysterious she-cat for the first time. She had such a beautiful voice, he had pictured her as being very pretty. Actually, she looked very much like Chasm: hairless. She had lovely eyes, though. They were large, bright blue, and twinkled in the light that came from a hole in the ceiling.

He tried not to show his surprise. River noticed it anyway. She seemed a little angry at first, but then she simply said, "You forest cats probably aren't used to us ugly cave cats, are you?"

Crowfeather didn't know what to say, so he remained silent.

"I'm just kidding with you. I know you aren't used to seeing hairless cats. Actually, you forest cats look pretty ugly to me, all covered in hair." She shivered at the thought. "Yuck."

Crowfeather laughed. "Okay, I'm sorry I stared."

They walked a little ways more into the tunnel when they heard voices on the other side of the cave wall. _Leafpool!_ Crowfeather couldn't tell what she was saying, but it was definitely her meow. "Leafpool!" he yowled. "Can you hear me?"

River flicked her tail over Crowfeather's mouth. "Hush," she said. "Do you want to make the rocks start falling? The tunnel might cave in on us!"

"But Leafpool is in the tunnel next to us! We've got to tell her and Chasm to stay there so we can find them!"

"No," River said, "The risk is too great. We will find them no matter where they go, eventually."

Crowfeather heard Leafpool call from the other side, "Crowfeather! Is that you?"

"Don't answer," River said. "If you keep shouting, the rocks will fall. This tunnel isn't stable."

Crowfeather ignored her. _Leafpool's in the tunnel right next to us! I'm not about to lose her!_ "It's me!" he shouted. "You and Chasm stay there, we'll be right there in a minute!"

"I'm warning you," River grumbled.

"What?" Leafpool called back.

"Stay there, we'll be there soon!"

"We? Who's with you?"

"Her name is River! She saved me!"

"I mean it," River said. "Be quiet."

Now Chasm called, "River? River! Can you hear me? Is it really you?"

River didn't answer.

"River?" Chasm continued calling.

"Yes! It's me!" River yowled.

There was a rumbling of rock, and a few pebbles fell from the roof of the tunnel, hitting Crowfeather in the head.

"Oh great, now you've done it…" River muttered.

"Me? It started after you shouted!" Crowfeather growled.

The pebbles were raining down harder now.

"Yeah, but you started it. Now run!"

River and Crowfeather ran along the tunnel as the rock split, sending a spray of dirt and stones falling down over the cats. _How long does this tunnel go on?_ Crowfeather wondered. _Why don't they prop up these tunnels or something so they'll be sturdy?_

A large rock fell and hit River on the side of the head. She fell as a shower of dust fell on her. "River!" Crowfeather shouted. _There's too much dust! I can't even see her!_ The dust began to clear and he saw her lying in a heap on the tunnel floor, buried in rocks. "River!" He ran over to her and began nudging the rocks off as quickly as he could. _Please let her be okay!_ He sighed when he saw that she was still breathing. Using his teeth, he lifted her and slung her onto his back, then ran out of the tunnel just as the last of it collapsed.

Just as he entered the small cave that the tunnel led into, Chasm and Leafpool were also running out of a tunnel and into the room. "Leafpool!" Crowfeather said. "Did your tunnel collapse too? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Our tunnel didn't collapse. We were just running to see if you were okay."

"And River," Chasm added.

Crowfeather bent over and let River gently roll off of his back.

Chasm ran to her. "No!" he yowled. "I've thought she was dead all this time. I finally learn that she's alive, and now I've lost her again, for real this time." He was silent for a moment, then he gently licked her cheek. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "If I hadn't called out to her, she wouldn't have called back, and the tunnel wouldn't have collapsed."

River opened one eye. "Hey, stupid," she croaked, her throat full of dust. "I'm still alive."

Chasm's eyes lit up and he licked her cheek again. "I've missed you so much!"

"Really?" she purred. "We weren't such good friends _before_ the flood."

"You weren't?" Crowfeather asked.

"No way," River said. "I thought he was stupid, and a coward. He proved that he was a coward when he took the highest ledge for himself during the flood."

"Don't bring that up!" Chasm hissed. "I've put my past behind me! You weren't the most likable cat around, either. Bossy, cruel, obsessed with perfection…"

"Okay, okay. That's enough," River said.

Chasm rubbed against her. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Me too."

Crowfeather was growing impatient. _Nice time for a reunion! Can't they see that Leafpool's still bleeding?_ After a while, he said. "Um, this is nice and all, but we've really got to be going."

"Of course," Chasm said. "Let's go. The exit is near here somewhere. We're almost out."

_One more chapter to go!_


	7. Chapter 7: The Tribe, and Going Home

The four cats made their way through the remaining tunnels. _It won't be long now until we're back in the forest, _Leafpool thought with excitement. She was impatient to see the forest again._ I wonder how long we've been down here. We haven't stopped to sleep once._ She yawned and dragged her paws along as they walked. She was exhausted and didn't know how much longer she could stay awake.

Then she had another thought. _What will I say when I get back to Thunderclan?_ She could just imagine everyone staring at her, whispering, saying that she'd run off with Crowfeather again. _I could tell Firestar the truth about being lost in the caverns, and leave out the part about Crowfeather being here. But would Firestar believe me? He'd probably think I'm lying and never trust me again._

_Oh, well… I'll deal with that when the time comes, although that may be pretty soon._ Feeling half asleep, she tripped over her own paws and was jolted awake again.

"You okay?" Crowfeather asked.

"Yeah," Leafpool yawned. "I'm fine."

"I don't know," Chasm said, inspecting Leafpool's wound where a falling rock had grazed her shoulder. "Your shoulder's stopped bleeding, but it still looks pretty bad. I know that's got to hurt. Besides, you haven't slept in a long time."

"I am tired," Leafpool admitted. "and my shoulder does hurt."

"Let's take a detour," River said. "You can come to our camp and rest for a while. It's not too far from here."

"Camp?" Chasm asked.

River said "Oh! I was so excited to see you, I forgot to tell you. You and I aren't the only survivors of the flood. A few others survived; we've made our own tribe!"

"You could have told me that sooner!" Chasm said. "Who all is there?" He was getting more and more excited every second. He wasn't the only survivor! There were others, possibly friends and family of his!

"Stone, Claw, Cavern, Stream, and Batwing," she said. "And kits have been born. We call ourselves the Tribe of the Dark Cavern."

Chasm turned to look at Crowfeather and Leafpool, excitement and pleading in his eyes. He looked impatient to see all his old tribe-mates. "Can we stop and go there for a moment? Leafpool's shoulder needs healing anyway, and both of you could use some sleep."

Crowfeather was about to complain, but then he saw Leafpool's shoulder again. It _did_ look pretty bad, and he _could_ use some rest. His stomach growled. He could use some food, too. He regretted tossing his bat into the river earlier. "Okay," he said.

"Which way?" Leafpool asked.

"Just follow me," River said. She led them to a tunnel, where they walked for a long time until they came to a narrow but tall room. The ground abruptly ended in front of them, giving way to a huge abyss. On the other side of the abyss, the stone floor continued, leading into another tunnel.

"How are we supposed to get across there?" Crowfeather asked. "You acted like taking a detour to your camp would be easy!"

"It is," River said. "Watch." She ran at an angle, straight off the edge of the floor. Everyone gasped, but she didn't fall into the void. Instead, she grabbed the stone wall with her claws, then launched herself across the narrow space and grabbed onto the opposite wall. Then she did it again, back to the first wall. Every time she launched herself off of the wall and landed on the opposite one, she came a little closer to the tunnel on the other side of the gulf. Finally, she jumped down onto the ground at the entrance to the tunnel. "Now you try!" she called across the room, her voice echoing against the walls.

"You cave cats may be used to doing this, but there's no way we're going to make it across!" Crowfeather called.

"Cave cats?" Chasm said. "I'm a cave cat, and even I don't think I can do this."

_Crowfeather's right,_ Leafpool thought. _There's no way. Are we really going to risk this just for some food and a place to sleep? We'll be home soon enough._

"Just try!" River answered their calls.

Chasm responded. "No! I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it to the tribe. I've lived alone this long; I can just continue that way."

_Is he really going to give up? After all this? What about all his friends in the tribe?_ "I'll try next," Leafpool said. _Why did I say that? I must be crazy. There's no way I can do this._ She found herself stepping to the edge of the floor, looking down at abyss in front of her. She gulped and willed herself to take the jump, but her paws felt rooted to the ground.

"Come on!" River called. "There's nothing to it. Just aim yourself towards the wall when you jump, and grab onto it with your claws!"

Leafpool thought her paws wouldn't move, but a second later she felt body hanging over the gap. She closed her eyes, feeling sick. _I'm going to fall!_ She felt her paws hit rock, and she dug her claws in. She opened her eyes. _I made it!_

"Don't stay there too long!" River called. "Your claws won't hang on forever, the rock's too hard and smooth! Use the muscles in your legs to launch yourself across to the other wall."

_What muscles? I'm a medicine cat, not a warrior!_ She felt herself slipping down the wall, her claws making a horrible grating sound against the stone. _It's now or never!_ She did as River said and jumped off the wall and across the gap, digging her claws into the other side just in time. After a few more leaps, she was on the other side with River.

"Well done!" River said, impressed. "Now let's see if Chasm and Crowfeather can do what we she-cats just did."

Crowfeather growled and followed the pattern until he too was across the abyss. Only Chasm was left on the other side.

"I knew you were a coward," River called, trying to taunt him into coming to the other side.

Leafpool looked across the void at Chasm. He looked embarrassed and afraid. Then a look of determination came over his face. _He must be thinking about the tribe, and all his friends he thought had died but hadn't, _Leafpool realized. A moment later, Chasm also jumped from wall to wall and made it to the other side.

"Alright," River said. "Now that we're all over here, let's go." She led them into the tunnel on that side of the abyss. As they walked she told them, "There used to be a bridge of stone there, across the gap. A few cats from the tribe went on a patrol to explore the caverns one day. They all made it across the bridge except a cat named Boulder. The bridge cracked, and he fell." She was silent for a moment, then said quietly and sadly, "It's the only death we've had since the flood so far. We're lucky more haven't been killed or injured."

They walked a little ways more until the tunnel opened into a large room, where there were hundreds of caves and tunnels at different heights on the walls.

"Here we are," River said. She looked proud of her tribe's home.

"Wow," Leafpool said. "How do you keep from going into the wrong cave and getting lost? And how do you get to the caves that are higher up?"

"We put different scratch marks above different tunnels so we don't get lost. Cave cats can jump pretty high, so we can get to a lot of the higher up caves, but we can't reach all of them."

A red-brown tabby tom with white markings and green eyes stepped out of a floor-level cave, his fur bristled.

Leafpool was shocked. She figured that all cave cats were hairless.

"Calm down, Claw," River said. "A couple of strangers just got lost in the caverns. And in case you haven't noticed, they're not the only ones I've brought with me." She flicked her tail in the direction of Chasm.

A wide smile broke out over Claw's face and he let his fur lie flat. "Y- you're alive?"

"Yeah," Chasm said. "I thought I was the only survivor until I found River. She told me about the tribe."

"We've got so much catching up to do," Claw said. "Things have changed so much since the flood. We've formed a new tribe, the Tribe of the Dark Cavern."

"River told me. She also said kittens have been born."

Claw nodded. "Batwing's and mine. Their names are Pebble, Sharpstone and Amber. I'll be back in a moment." He walked over to a cave and called, "Stone, Cavern, Stream! Get out here! You'll never believe who's back!"

A dark gray tom, a hairless tom and a hairless she-cat came out of the cave and ran over to Chasm. "It's been a long time," the she-cat said.

"I know," Chasm said. "I've missed you, Stream." He licked her on the cheek.

Leafpool could see a jealous glint in River's blue eyes. The cave cat's claws scratched at the ground. _Somebody's jealous…_

Chasm talked to the tribe cats for a bit, then turned to Crowfeather and Leafpool. "I'd like to introduce you to the tribe," he said. "This is Stone." The dark gray cat nodded in greeting. "This is my cousin, Cavern." He flicked his tail in the hairless tom's direction. "And this is Stream." He walked over and rubbed his head against hers.

River's fur would have bristled if she'd had any.

Chasm caught up with the tribe cats and visited Batwing and her kits, while Crowfeather and Leafpool rested and ate cavefish that the tribe cats caught for them. "So… we're almost out of the cave," Leafpool said.

"Yeah," Crowfeather said.

"What's wrong?" Leafpool asked. _He's thinking about how much he's going to miss me, or debating whether he wants to leave Windclan, or both._

Crowfeather hesitated. "I'm not sure I want to run away from Windclan like I said."

Leafpool pretended to be surprised. "Oh really? Why?"

"I guess it would be lonely, living on my own, without a clan. Are you sure you don't want to come with me? We could form our own clan. Everything would be perfect."

"We've been through this before," Leafpool sighed. "I'm loyal to Thunderclan. I'm their medicine cat, and they need me. Besides… Nightcloud."

"What about her?"

"I can't believe you chose her when we still loved each other, but she is your mate now. You need to be there for her and Breezepelt. Try to love her."

Crowfeather hissed.

"I'm right, you know."

"Yes," he said.

"So, what will you do when we get out of these caves?"

He was silent for a moment. "I- I don't know what I'll do."

Leafpool didn't say anything back. She simply licked his ear, then curled up and went to sleep.

When she awoke, Crowfeather and Chasm were talking. The hairless cat turned and faced her. "It's time to go, if you are rested."

"Yes. I'm ready to go."

"River will stay behind. She has tribe duties to perform. I will guide you to the exit. River says it is not too far from here."

Chasm looked up at one of the caves on the wall, a few feet above. "This is the tunnel." He jumped up, and Crowfeather and Leafpool followed. Together they walked through the tunnel, quiet for the most part.

"You must be glad to be back with your tribe-mates," Leafpool finally said to Chasm.

Chasm nodded. "Things aren't going to be easy, that's for sure. I've been away from them for two years, and not all of them are exactly my best friends. But I am glad to have found them. I can restart my life now. Who knows what is in the tribe's future?"

He was quiet again, and they continued walking until they heard a rumbling. "Oh, no," Crowfeather said. "That sounds like the noise right before the tunnel caved in on River and me. We weren't even shouting this time."

"You go on without me. You run towards the exit as fast as you can. I will run back to the tribe's camp."

"But-" Leafpool began.

Chasm shook his head. "I can't lead you to the exit. If the tunnel caves in, we will either be trapped on the exit side or the tribe side. I need to be on the tribe side, and you need to be on the exit side. Now go!"

The rumbling was growing louder. Leafpool looked at the ceiling as pebbles began to fall. She looked back at Chasm. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now go!"

Leafpool and Crowfeather ran as fast as they could, as rocks fell behind them, separating them from Chasm. _Now we're without a guide! _Leafpool thought. _I hope the tunnel is straight from here on out!_

Finally, the rumbling and the falling rocks stopped. Crowfeather and Leafpool walked through the tunnel, which was straight for the most part. That is, until they came to a room that branched off into several different tunnels. "This is just wonderful," Crowfeather muttered. "The cave branches off and we've got no guide to show us which way to go."

Just then, a hairless cat walked out of the tunnel behind them.

"But… the falling rocks separated us! How did you…" Leafpool's voice trailed off and she shook her head. _How in the world did Chasm get here?_

The hairless cat turned to face them. "I am Rock," he said. His voice sounded like Chasm's, but deeper, older and wiser-sounding. "Chasm made it back to the Tribe of the Dark Cavern. I will be your guide now. This way."

Leafpool and Crowfeather followed him into one of the tunnels, which sloped gently upward. "Who are you?" Crowfeather asked, his fur a little bristly. He was nervous about following a complete stranger. "Are you one of the tribe cats?"

Rock looked at him, and he twitched his whiskers in amusement. "You could say that."

They were silent the rest of the way, until they finally came to an opening. Leafpool stepped out of the tunnel, blinking in the sunlight. She turned and looked at Rock. "Thank you," she said.

Rock nodded. "No trouble at all." With that, he began to fade and then altogether vanish.

Crowfeather and Leafpool looked at each other in shock. "Let's not mention this to our clans, okay?" Crowfeather said.

"Agreed," Leafpool said. "They'll think we're crazy."

"I guess this is goodbye. I better get going before I'm caught on Thunderclan territory."

Leafpool nodded, unable to speak. She rubbed her head against his. After a moment of silence, she said, "We'll be together in Starclan."

Crowfeather nodded. _And Feathertail will be there too,_ he added in his mind. He licked her on her wounded cheek, then retreated into the bushes, heading toward Winclan territory. Leafpool turned and headed back to the Thunderclan camp. _What will I say when they ask where I've been? The only thing I can do is tell the truth and leave out Crowfeather, then hope that Firestar believes me._ That's what she decided to do.

Crowfeather stepped into the center of the camp. All Windclan eyes were on him. "We- we thought you died!" someone called.

"If I had, it would be because no one bothered to save me from drowning."

The cats who'd been on patrol with him the day he faked his death lied their ears back, embarrassed.

"You've been gone for two full days," Onestar said. "We all know where you've been."

"Maybe you do. Maybe you don't. I was on the way back from the lake after being deserted by the patrol, and I fell down a hole, into the caverns below. It took me two days to get out." _At least it's part of the truth._

He saw Nightcloud in the crowd, and felt like turning and running away right then. _She thinks I ran off to be with Leafpool. It's not the truth, but nothing I say will change her mind. Maybe I should just leave like I'd planned._ Everything Leafpool said came back to him, and he decided that he would just make things work out. Everything would be okay. He would make things work out.

_The End…_

_(Note: I may write a sequel about the Tribe of the Dark Cavern in the future, so keep watching for that.)_


End file.
